Tank lever



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' July 12, 1949. a. R. CRAMPTON TANK LEVER Filed May 29, 19 46 PatentedJuly 12, 1949 2,475gss-1" TANK LEVER Manufacturing Company}- Grsne memeThis-invention relates to fiushingtank levers and 'is directed togreatly. econornizing-lthe ro duction of such levers over the'w'ay theyhave been previously made, asdisclosed in my earlier Patent No. 2233159, issued February 25, 1941.

Aflushing tank lever mounted on a flushing tank has exposed at'theouterside ofth'e tank the. operating handle and an escutcheon which coversthe outer end of a spud or tank wall fixture extending. through the wallof the tank, and through which the complete lever member-- is.mountedfor a limited roc'k'ing naovenie'nt. Inmyprior patentabove-identified, the handle part of the lever and such escutcheon aremade integral with an enlargement of the handle Where it connects to thestem passingthrough the tank wall fixture, or spud, to obtain suchcoveringof the outer end of the spud. Such handle member of'the completelever is produced as a casting which may be ofb'rass onvari ous othermaterials, but' inzpres'en'tday practice is usually of a-die castnietal;the major ingredient of 'whichis zinc. Such-handles must have-anattractive and decorati've finish as the castings made from thedie castmetal are subject to someoxidation which gives them a dull coating whichprogressively v increases with age; Therefore, it had been commonpractice before the second 'Wofld War, andwill be herealfterjtoplate'said' handles with a non=oxidizable plating" which involves a,nickel plating *With' a subsequent protective chromium" platingthereover. The pohshin'g-andbuffin'g and the'plating-of the-handles isone ofthemajor items of'- expense in' sueh' fliishing tank lever"manufacture;

In the present invention theme of a decorative coating,iandparticularlyiplating, required in pi' actice, is done away with.StainlesssteeIg an alloy' of steel and chromium does not lose itslus't'rfof appearance through oxidizing, requiresno plating. andmaintainsiits"attractiveness of appear anceior the life of thefiushingtank leve'r. Stainless steel however is a'very difficult material toprocess, isexpensive and for :"the attainnien't of the necessaryeconomyrand man-ufactur of flush tank levers must beused;-in a very'sinall quaritit'y for each-lever;

The "present inventionhas resultecl'i-in the' p'ro' duction' ofafiush-tank leverin 'Whidh" cost of manufacture in 'comparison withlevers having hantiIes'of a constrtict1diidisc1bsed my prior may he usestotp'iotiudefa separate escutcheon ands eparatehhndlicoverfiii it belugapractical impossibility t6 vibikafid-diaWthestairfless steel material inorfe 'p'feciNth shape and form" required" weaver the" handle-showninn'iypri'or patent. I

Th'ere"'is; thererore inv61vw numereus novel changes cofis'tfuetmn m themaking" of the artsafidimthe assmbiythereo for' theattainmurders-newness Like reference characters rfeftodikeparts' in1113s ifferent fiuies tithe drawing:

The-"flushing? were eter than the transverse dimension of the openingthrough the tank, which lies against the outer side of the tank wall I.The spud is cast from die cast material and from the head 2 a section 3square in cross section extends and from it an integral exteriorlythreaded section 4. At the inner end of the threaded section 4 and atone side thereof a projecting finger 5 extends, the function of whichwill thereafter be described. The tank wall fixture is hollow having acylindrical opening therethrough from its outer end nearly to its innerend through which inner end a slot 6 is made in a transverse end portion1, the slot 6 being disposed substantially on a diameter of the spud andclosely adjacent the inner side of the projecting finger 5 (Fi 5). Suchtank wall fixture has the threaded section 4 and the square section 3inserted into and through the opening in the tank wall until the head 2comes against the outer side of the wall, and receives a binding nut 8screwed onto the projecting end of the section l which is broughtagainst the inner side of the tank wall, securing the spud in place andagainst longitudinal or rotative movement.

The movable lever part of the flushing tank lever includes an insidelift arm, a transverse spindle and an outer operating handle. The liftarm and spindle are made from a length of metal in bar stock, the liftarm 9 at one end having the spindle it turned at right angles therefrom.Near the free end of the spindle it and in one of its edges a notch l lis provided. The spindle passes through the slot 6, which is wide enoughthat the spindle may have a limited rocking movement therein, and theadjacent side of the lift arm 9 comes very closely adjacent to the freeend of the finger 5 as shown in Fig. 3 in the completed lever. Thehandle has an inner body, die cast with a substantially solid head I 2at one end from which an open frame extends to a side, having spacedapart sides 13 connected at their outer ends by a transverse integralend M as best shown in Fig. 5. At the inner side of the head l2 aprojection is cast in several diameters. Immediately adjacent the innerside of the head l2 a short cylindrical section i5 is provided fromwhich a second and longer cylindrical section I6 extends, the diameterof which is slightly less than the diameter of the section l5, and fromthe inner end of the section 16 a terminal section l1 extends, theexterior diameter of which is such that it is received within the outerend of the cylindrical opening in the hollow spud or tank wall fixturedescribed. A slot l8 divides the projection H substantially in two equalparts and said slot extends the full length of the sections l6 and I1and into the head l2, terminating at short distance from the outer sideof the head as best shown in Fig. 2. The width of the bar stock fromwhich the lift arm 9 and the transverse spindle it are made isapproximately equal to, though perhaps slightly less than the width ofthe slot from one edge to the other in the section II, and the edges ofthespindle where it enters said slot and is inserted through thecylindrical sections E5, E6, is less than the diameters of the sectionsi5 and I6 and less than the distance between the opposite sides of thehead.

An escutcheon or cover plate l9 substantially in the form of a dome,open at its inner side is pressed from thin stainless steel material,having an opening 20 at what may be termed its top, the diameter ofwhich is such that the short cylindrical section l5 may passtherethrough; that is, the dome is passed over the inwardly Lilextending projection at the end of the handle and over the short collarl5 after which the collar is upset and distorted or rolled to provide acontinuous retaining rib 2] (Figs. 2 and 3) whereby the escutcheon orcover member 19 is permanently secured to the die cast handle member.The interior diameter of the escutcheon l9 at its open end is greaterthan the exterior diameter of the head 2 whereby it may reachsubstantially to the outer side of the tank wall I and cover the outerend of the tank wall fixture (Figs. 2 and 3).

In the production the spud is die cast, the handle member described isdie cast, and the bar is fabricated to provide the inner lift arm havingthe spindle with the notch I l therein. The spindle is inserted at itsfree end through the opening 6 and projected through the spud and intothe slot at l8 until the end of the spindle reaches the bottom of theslot and with the lift arm closely adjacent the free end of the finger.In such assembly of the parts the inner cylindrical projection i! willbe received within the outer end of the spud, then by a punch pressoperation or equivalent pressure, the metal of the head opposite thenotch H is forced inwardly into said notch, as shown at I la in Fig. 2,providing a normally permanent and inseparable connection of the handlemember to the outer end of the spindle.

The lever is completed by providing the die cast handle member with acovering of thin stainless steel material. Such covering pressed from aplate of thin metal has an outer side 22 with a continuous flangeextending from it at its edges, said flanges having two side sections 23and two end sections 24 and 25 conforming to and closely embracing thedie cast handle member. From the inner edges of the sides 23 integraltabs 26 extend. This covering is placed over the die cast member of thehandle and the tabs bent toward each other to come against parts l3thereby retaining the cover in place.

With a tank lever as described the depression which is made by pressingthe metal inwardly into a notch at II is covered and the inner edges ofthe covering for the handle at the rounded end at 25 and adjacentthereto are brought into direct engagement with the outer end or top ofthe dome escutcheon [9. Therefore all visible exposed portions of thetank lever carry the stainless steel covering which is not subjected tooxidizing or other deterioration in appearance. All plating is dispensedwith and the cost of manufacture is reduced, as previously indicated,approximately 30%. The finger 5 serves as a stop against any axialmovements of the spud and spindle relative to each other.

The invention is very practical. The construction described is simple,sturdy and particularly economical. The invention is defined in theappended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms ofstructure coming within their scope.

I claim:

In a flushing tank lever, a tank wall fixture adapted to be fixedlysecured to and extend through the wall of a flushing tank, a movablelever member having a spindle extending axially through the fixture andat its inner end having a lift arm permanently connected thereto andextending away therefrom and at its outer end having an operating handlepermanently connected and extending away therefrom, said handle at itsinner end having an inwardly extending cylindrical projection comprisingthree sections of progressively decreasing diameters, a dome of thinmaterial having an opening at its outer side through which saidprojection extends, the opening being of a size to pass the largestdiameter section of the projection whereby the projection may belaterally offset to secure the dome in permanent connection with thehandle in a position to cover the outer end of said tank wall fixture,and a second covering of the same material secured to said handlewhereby all exposed portions of the lever at the outer side of aflushing tank on which mounted are of said material.

BASIL R. CRAMPTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,795,554 Graff Mar. 10, 19312,007,390 Birdsall July 9,1935 2,233,159 Crampton Feb. 25, 1941

